Barley cultivar oreana

ABSTRACT

A barley cultivar, designated Oreana, is disclosed. The disclosure relates to seeds, plants, and derivatives of barley cultivar Oreana, and methods for producing a barley plant by crossing Oreana with itself or another barley variety. The disclosure also relates to barley varieties or breeding varieties and plant parts derived from barley Oreana, to methods for producing other barley varieties, lines, or plant parts derived from barley Oreana, and to the barley plants, varieties, and their parts derived from the use of those methods. The disclosure further relates to hybrid barley seeds and plants produced by crossing barley cultivar Oreana with another barley cultivar. The disclosure relates to methods for developing other barley varieties or breeding lines derived from variety Oreana, including cell and tissue cultures and haploid systems.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a new and distinctive barley cultivardesignated Oreana.

BACKGROUND

There are numerous steps in the development of a novel, desirable plantgermplasm through plant breeding. Plant breeding can begin with theanalysis and definition of problems and weaknesses of the currentgermplasm (e.g., seeds or plant tissue), the establishment of breedinggoals, and the establishment of breeding objectives. Then, a germplasmthat possess the traits to meet the breeding goals can be selected. Thepurpose of such plant breeding can be to create an improved combinationof desirable traits from multiple parental germplasms in a singlevariety.

Barley, a type of plant than can be bred, is an important and valuablefield crop. Barley breeders seek to develop stable, high yielding barleyvarieties that are agronomically sound and have good grain quality forits intended use. Barley varieties may differ from each other in one ormore traits and can be classified and differentiated according to thespecific traits they possess. For example, barley can be two-rowed orsix-rowed, which refers to the number and positioning of kernels on thespike (otherwise known as the head). Barley can also be classified asspring barley or winter barley, referring to the growth habit, or by theadherence of hulls on the seed, or by the type of starch in the seed.Additionally, barley varieties can be differentiated based on grainyield, lodging, spike attitude, structural growth habits, and flag leafshape and length. Additional traits may also differentiate variousbarley lines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As disclosed herein, there is provided a new barley cultivar designatedOreana. This disclosure relates to the seeds and plants of barleycultivar Oreana, as well as derivatives of the plants of barley cultivarOreana, and to methods for producing a barley plant produced by crossingthe barley cultivar Oreana with itself or another barley cultivar.

Methods such as selfing, backcrossing, hybrid production, crosses topopulations, and similar methods using the barley cultivar Oreana aredisclosed herein. Plants produced using barley cultivar Oreana as atleast one parent are also disclosed herein. The barley cultivar Oreanacould be used in crosses with other, different barley plants to producefirst generation (F₁) barley hybrid seeds and plants with additional orsuperior characteristics. Also included in the present disclosure arethe F₁ hybrid barley plants grown from the hybrid seed produced bycrossing the barley cultivar Oreana to a second barley plant. Stillfurther included in the present disclosure are the seeds of a F₁ hybridplant produced with the barley cultivar Oreana as one parent, the secondgeneration (F₂) hybrid barley plant grown from the seed of the F₁ hybridplant, and the seeds of the F₂ hybrid plant.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of producing barleyseeds comprising crossing a plant of the barley cultivar Oreana to anysecond barley plant, including itself or another plant of the cultivarOreana. In some embodiments, the method of crossing can comprise thesteps of: (a) planting seeds of the barley cultivar Oreana; (b)cultivating barley plants resulting from the seeds until the plants bearflowers; (c) allowing fertilization of the flowers of the plants; and(d) harvesting seeds produced from the plants.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of producing hybridbarley seeds comprising crossing the barley cultivar Oreana to a second,distinct barley plant that is nonisogenic to the barley cultivar Oreana.In some embodiments, the crossing comprises the steps of: (a) plantingseeds of barley cultivar Oreana and a second, distinct barley plant; (b)cultivating the barley plants grown from the seeds until the plants bearflowers; (c) cross-pollinating a flower on one of the two plants withthe pollen of the other plant; and (d) harvesting the seeds resultingfrom the cross pollinating.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for developing abarley plant in a barley breeding program comprising: (a) obtaining abarley plant, or its parts, of the cultivar Oreana; and (b) employingthe plant or parts as a source of breeding material using plant breedingtechniques. In the method, the plant breeding techniques compriseselfing, backcrossing, hybrid production, crosses to populations,recurrent selection, mass selection, bulk selection, pedigree breeding,or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the barley plant ofcultivar Oreana may be used as the male or female parent.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method of producing abarley plant derived from the barley cultivar Oreana, the methodcomprising the steps of: (a) preparing a progeny plant derived frombarley cultivar Oreana by crossing a plant of the barley cultivar Oreanawith a second barley plant; and (b) crossing the progeny plant withitself or a second plant to produce a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration that is derived from a plant of the barley cultivar Oreana.In one embodiment, the method further comprises: (c) crossing theprogeny plant of a subsequent generation with itself or a second plant;and (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) for, in some embodiments, at least2, 3, 4, or more additional generations to produce an inbred barleyplant derived from the barley cultivar Oreana. Also provided by thedisclosure is a plant produced by this and the other methods of thedisclosure.

In another embodiment, the method of producing a barley plant derivedfrom the barley cultivar Oreana further comprises: (a) crossing thebarley cultivar Oreana-derived barley plant with itself or anotherbarley plant to yield additional barley cultivar Oreana-derived progenybarley seed; (b) growing the progeny barley seed of step (a) under plantgrowth conditions to yield additional barley cultivar Oreana-derivedbarley plants; and (c) repeating the crossing and growing steps of (a)and (b) to generate further barley cultivar Oreana-derived barleyplants. In some embodiments, steps (a) and (b) may be repeated at least1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more times as desired. The disclosure further providesa barley plant produced by this and the foregoing methods.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides regenerable cells foruse in tissue culture of barley plant Oreana. The tissue culture can becapable of regenerating plants having essentially all the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of the barley plant disclosed herein,and of regenerating plants having substantially the same genotype as thebarley plant Oreana. The regenerable cells in such tissue cultures canbe the head, awn, leaf, pollen, ovul, embryo, cotyledon, hypocotyl,seed, spike, pericarp, meristematic cell, cell, protoplast, root, roottip, pistil, anther, floret, shoot, stem, callus, or a combinationthereof. Still further, the present disclosure can provide barley plantsregenerated from the tissue cultures of the barley cultivar Oreana.

In a further aspect, the disclosure provides a composition comprising aseed of barley cultivar Oreana comprised in plant seed growth media. Incertain embodiments, the plant seed growth media is a soil or syntheticcultivation medium. In specific embodiments, the growth medium may becomprised in a container or may, for example, be soil in a field. Plantseed growth media can provide adequate physical support for seeds andcan retain moisture and/or nutritional components.

In a further aspect, the disclosure provides a method of producing acommodity plant product comprising collecting the commodity plantproduct from the plant of barley cultivar Oreana. In some embodiments,the commodity plant product can be, but is not limited to, grain, flour,bran, baked goods, cereals, pasta, beverages, malts, or medicines. Thecommodity plant product can comprise at least one cell of barleycultivar Oreana.

In yet another aspect, the disclosure provides a barley plant comprisinga single locus conversion of the barley cultivar Oreana, wherein thebarley plant is otherwise capable of expressing all the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of the barley cultivar Oreana. Inparticular embodiments of the subject innovation, the single locusconversion may comprise a transgenic gene that has been introduced bygenetic transformation into the barley cultivar Oreana or a progenitorthereof. In still other embodiments, the single locus conversion maycomprise a dominant or recessive allele. The locus conversion may conferpotentially any trait upon the single locus converted plant, including,but not limited to, herbicide resistance, insect resistance, resistanceto bacterial, fungal, or viral disease, male fertility or sterility, andimproved nutritional quality.

In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above,further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by study of thedescriptions that follow.

DEFINITIONS

The following definitions are provided:

Allele. An allele is any of one or more alternative forms of a gene thatrelate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cell or organism,the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding loci on a pair ofhomologous chromosomes.

Awn. Awn means the elongated needle-like appendages on theflower-and-seed-bearing “head” at the top of the barley plant. Awns areattached to lemmas. Lemmas enclose the stamen and the stigma as part ofthe florets. Florets are grouped in spikelets, which in turn togethercomprise the head or spike.

Backcrossing. Backcrossing is a process in which a breeder repeatedlycrosses hybrid progeny back to one of the parents, for example, a firstgeneration hybrid F₁ with one of the parental genotypes of the F₁hybrid.

Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV). Barley yellow dwarf virus is a viraldisease transmitted by aphids. The symptoms include yellow chlorosis ofthe older leaves, stunting, sterility, and reduced kernel size.

Cell. Cell includes a plant cell, whether isolated, in tissue culture,or incorporated in a plant or plant part.

Covered Seed. Barley seed can have a cutin layer that cements the hull(lemma and palea or glumes) to the seed. The hull can only be removed byabrasive processing prior to consumption, known as pearling.

Disease Resistance. Disease resistance or disease resistant is definedas the ability of plants to restrict the activities of a specifieddisease, such as a fungus, virus, or bacterium.

Disease Tolerance. Disease tolerance or disease tolerant is defined asthe ability of plants to endure a specified disease (such as a fungus,virus, or bacterium) or an adverse environmental condition and stillperform and produce in spite of this condition.

Essentially all of the physiological and morphological characteristics.A plant having essentially all of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics means a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent, except for the characteristicsderived from the converted trait.

Foliar Disease. Foliar disease is a general term for fungal disease thatcauses yellowing or browning or premature drying of the leaves. Thedisease typically involves Septoria, net blotch, spot blotch, or scald.

Grain yield. Grain yield, also known as crop yield, is the measure ofthe yield of a crop per unit area of land cultivated and the seedgeneration of the plant itself.

Head. Head refers to a group of spikelets at the top of one plant stem.The term “spike” also refers to the head of a barley plant located atthe top of one plant stem.

Herbicide Resistance. Herbicide resistance or herbicide resistant isdefined as the ability of plants to survive and reproduce followingexposure to a dose of herbicide that would normally be lethal to theplant.

Herbicide Tolerance. Herbicide tolerance or herbicide tolerant isdefined as the ability of plants to survive and reproduce afterherbicide treatment.

Homozygous Plant. A homozygous plant is defined as a plant withhomozygous genes at 95% or more of its loci.

Hulless Seed. Barley seed can have a cutin layer that cements the hull(lemma and palea or glumes) to the seed. The absence of a cutin layer isreferred to as hulless. The loose hull can be easily removed at harvestor by minimal cleaning/processing prior to consumption. This has alsobeen referred to as naked or nude seed.

Inbred. Inbred refers to a homozygous plant or a collection ofhomozygous plants.

Insect Resistance. Insect resistance or insect resistant is defined asthe ability of plants to restrict the activities of a specified insector pest.

Insert Tolerance. Insect tolerance or insect tolerant is defined as theability of plants to endure a specified insect or pest and still performand produce in spite of the insect or pest.

Lodging. Lodging refers to the bending or breakage of the plant stem, orthe tilting over of the plant, which complicates harvest and candiminish the value of the harvested product.

Leaf Rust. A fungal disease that results in orange-red pustules on theleaf surface. Caused by Puccinia hordei.

Net blotch. Net blotch refers to a fungal disease that appears aselongated black lesions running parallel to the leaf veins withdistinctive, dark brown net-like patterns. Net blotch is caused byPyrenophora teres.

Percent Identity. Percent identity refers to the comparison of thehomozygous alleles of two barley varieties. Percent identity isdetermined by comparing a statistically significant number of thehomozygous alleles of two developed varieties. For example, a percentidentity of 90% between barley variety 1 and barley variety 2 means thatthe two varieties have the same allele at 90% of their loci.

Percent Similarity. Percent similarity refers to the comparison of thehomozygous alleles of a barley variety such as Oreana with anotherplant, and if the homozygous allele of Oreana matches at least one ofthe alleles from the other plant then they are determined to be similar.Percent similarity is determined by comparing a statisticallysignificant number of loci and recording the number of loci with similaralleles as a percentage. A percent similarity of 90% between Oreana andanother plant means that Oreana matches at least one of the alleles ofthe other plant at 90% of the loci.

Plant. Plant includes an immature or mature whole plant, including aplant from which seed, grain, or anthers have been removed. A seed orembryo that will produce the plant is also considered to be a plant.

Plant Height (Hgt). Plant height is the average height in inches orcentimeters of a group of plants, as measured from the ground level tothe tip of the head, excluding awns.

Plant Parts. Plant parts (or reference to “a barley plant, or a partthereof”) includes but is not limited to protoplasts, callus, leaves,stems, roots, root tips, anthers, pistils, seeds, grain, pericarps,embryos, pollen, ovules, cotyledons, hypocotyls, spikes, florets, awns,lemmas, shoots, tissues, petioles, cells, meristematic cells, or acombination thereof.

Powdery Mildew. Powdery mildew refers to a fungal disease that resultsin white to gray powdery pustules on the leaf blade with associatedyellowing and browning. Powdery mildew is caused by Blumeria graminis fsp. hordei.

Progeny. Progeny includes an F_(t) barley plant produced from the crossof two barley plants where at least one plant includes barley cultivarOreana. Progeny further includes but is not limited to subsequent F₂,F₃, F₄, F₅, F₆, F₇, F₈, F₉, and F₁₀, generational crosses with therecurrent parental line.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL). Quantitative trait loci refer to geneticloci that control to some degree numerically representable traits thatare usually continuously distributed.

Scab. Scab refers to a fungal disease that causes salmon-orange sporemasses at the base of the glumes and on the seed. It may also causeshriveling of seed. Scab is caused by Fusarium graminearum.

Scald. Scald refers to a fungal disease that causes spots to develop onthe leaves during cool, wet weather. The spots are oval shaped and themargins of the spots change from bluish-green to zonated brown or tanrings with bleached straw-colored centers. Scald is caused byRhynchosporium secalis.

Septoria. Septoria refers to a fungal disease that appears as elongated,light brown spots on the leaves. It is caused by Septoria passerinii.

Single Gene Converted (Conversion). Single gene converted (conversion)plants refers to plants that are developed by a plant breeding techniquecalled backcrossing wherein essentially all of the desired morphologicaland physiological characteristics of a variety are recovered in additionto the single gene transferred into the variety via the backcrossingtechnique or via genetic engineering.

Smut, covered. Covered smut refers to a fungal disease in which massesof black spores replace the seed kernels on the head. A persistentmembrane can be ruptured during harvest to disperse spores. Covered smutis caused by Ustilago hordei.

Smut, loose. Loose smut refers to a fungal disease in which masses ofblack spores replace the seed kernels on the head. The thin membranethat covers the spores is easily ruptured and spores are disbursed bywind. Loose smut is caused by Ustilago nuda.

Spot Blotch. Spot blotch refers to a fungal disease that appears asdark, chocolate-colored blotches forming irregular dead patches on theleaves. Spot blotch is caused by Cochliobolus sativus.

Stem rust. Stem rust refers to a fungal disease that produces masses ofbrick-red pustules on stems and leaf sheaths. Stem rust can be caused byeither Puccinia graminis f sp. tritici or Puccinia graminis f sp.secalis.

Stripe Rust. Stripe rust refers to a fungal disease that results inlight yellowish orange pustules arranged in stripes between the veins ofthe leaves. Stripe rust is caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. hordei.

Waxy Bloom. A waxy or powdery whitish to bluish coating that can befound on the surface of stems, leaves, and spikes. Plant parts that donot have wax are referred to as “glossy.” A synonym for presence of thewax is “glaucous.”

Waxy Seed. The endosperm of waxy seed contains waxy starch granules withlow amylase content. The lower amylase results in seed having an opaqueappearance.

Waxy Starch. Starch in grain is stored in granules that can be made ofvarying amounts of amylopectin (branched) and amylase (straight chained)starch. Waxy starch in barley has low amylase content ranging from 0 to20%.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the subject innovation. It may be evident, however,that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specificdetails.

One or more examples of the subject innovation are set forth below. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the innovation, not alimitation of the innovation. It will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that various modifications and variations may be made to thepresent innovation without departing from the scope or spirit of theinnovation. For instance, features illustrated or described as part ofone embodiment, can be used on another embodiment to yield a stillfurther embodiment.

Thus, it is intended that the present innovation covers suchmodifications and variations as come within the scope of the appendedclaims and their equivalents. Other objects, features, and aspects ofthe present innovation are disclosed in or are obvious from thefollowing detailed description. It is to be understood by one ofordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a descriptionof exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting thebroader aspects of the present innovation.

In an embodiment, the innovation is directed to barley cultivar Oreana,its seeds, plants, and hybrids. The presently disclosed cultivar Oreanacan show uniformity and stability for all traits, as described below.The barley Oreana has been self-pollinated a sufficient number ofgenerations, with attention to uniformity of plant type to ensurehomozygosity and phenotypic stability. The cultivar has been increasedwith continued observation for uniformity in appearance and performance.Oreana may contain tall variants at frequencies of up to 4/10,000(0.04%), with the variants being 4-6 inches taller. No other varianttraits have been observed or are expected in Oreana, as described inTable 1 (Variety Description Information).

Oreana is a glossy starch, covered, two-row barley variety created bycrossing “Champion” with “YU501-312.” Champion is a two-row,medium-height, covered, spring barley developed for feed to replace thebarley variety Baronesse. YU501-312 is a two-row, spring barleydeveloped from the cross of barley variety Heran and barley varietyCamas. Following the cross of Champion and YU501-312 described above, F₁seed was planted near Yuma, Ariz. and F₂ seed was harvested therefrom.The F₂ seed was planted near Bozeman, Mont., and spikes were selectedfrom the F₂ plants and used to plant a bulk F₃ population near Bozeman,Mont. Single spikes were selected from the F₃ plants. Single spikes wereplanted as single F₄ rows near Bozeman, Mont. Agronomically desired rowswere selected, harvested, and given permanent numbers. One such selectedrow was given the experimental designation, BZ509-448. The F₄ seed wasused to plant a single five foot by fifteen foot plot near Bozeman,Mont. (F₅) and three plots near Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Seed from theF₅ Bozeman plot was harvested and used to plant replicated (F₆) yieldtrial plots near Bozeman and five locations in Alberta, Saskatchewan,and Manitoba. Continued yield testing of F₇-F₁₀ seed was performed in2012 and 2013 in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.Heads were selected for purification from an F₁₁ plot near Case Grande,Ariz. and planted as head-row plots near Moses Lake, Wash. Uniformappearing head rows were harvested individually and planted separatelyas strips near Casa Grande, Ariz. Uniform appearing strips wereharvested, bulked, and designed ‘breeder’ seed. BZ509-448 was alsodesigned TR12735, and was given the commercial designation of Oreana.

Oreana is a two-row, mid-season maturing, short variety adapted tovarious locations, such as Idaho, Mont., Washington, and parts ofCanada, such as the Great Plains Region of Alberta and Saskatchewan, byway of example. Oreana is most similar in appearance to the varietyChampion. However, Oreana has an average height of 70.1 cm, whileChampion has an average height of 78 cm. Oreana also has parallel(non-reduced) sterile spikelets, while Champion has deficien (reduced)sterile spikelets. Furthermore, Oreana has a tapering head shape, whileChampion has a strap head shape. Oreana's flag leaf length is, onaverage, 14.1 cm, while Champion's flag leaf length is 17.0. Lastly,Oreana has a kernel weight of 47 g/1000 k, while Champion's kernelweight is 55.5 g/1000 k. These differences were observed across 30station years between 2012 and 2013. The resultant Oreana variety alsodisplays higher grain yield and lower lodging than Champion.

Some physical characteristics of Oreana are listed in Table 1.Comparisons between Oreana and other barley varieties are presented inTables 2 through 7. Those skilled in the art will recognize that theseare values that may vary due to environment conditions and that othervalues that are substantially equivalent are within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Oreana can be characterized by a glossy leaf, with no waxy bloom on thespike. Oreana's seeds can be mid-long, covered, and have no hairs on theventral furrow. The spike of Oreana can be two-rowed, with a taperingshape and few hairs on the rachis edge. The glumes of Oreana can beone-half of the lemma length and can have short, rough hairs restrictedto the middle of the glume that are equal to the length of the glume.The lemma can have long awns that are rough with numerous teeth. Oreanaseeds can have colorless aleurone. The stigma can have many hairs.Additional identifying characteristics of Oreana are provided below inTable 1.

TABLE 1 Plant Growth Habit Spring Spike Two-row Juvenile Growth HabitSemi-prostrate Plant Tillering High Maturity (50% flowering) Mid-season;averages 94.7 days after planting; 2 days later than Xena Plant HeightShort; averages 70.1 cm; 13 cm shorter than Xena Stem Color at MaturityWhite Stem Strength Strong Stem Exsertion (Flag to Spike 0-3 cm atMaturity) Anthocyanin Absent Number of Nodes (Originating 4 from NodeAbove Ground) Collar Shape Closed Neck Shape Straight Leaves ColeoptileColor Green Basal Leaf Sheath Pubescence Absent at Seedling Stage BasalLeaf Sheath Color Green Leaf Color at Boot Green Flag Leaf at BootUpright Pubescence on Leaf (first leaf Absent below flag leaf) BladePubescence on Leaf (first leaf Absent below flag leaf) Sheath AuricleColor White Pubescence on Auricle: Absent Basal Leaf Sheath (Seedling)Glabrous Waxiness Absent (Glossy) Width (First Leaf Below 13 mm FlagLeaf) Length (First Leaf Below 25 cm Flag Leaf) Anthocyanin in LeafSheath Absent Spike Exsertion Slight Shape Tapering Density Erect(Dense) Position at Maturity Inclined Length of Spike 7.37 cm Waxy BloomAbsent (Glossy) Lateral Kernels Overlap None Hairiness of Rachis EdgeFew Lemma Awns Long (longer than spike) Awn Surface Rough Teeth NumerousHair Absent Shape of Base Transverse Crease Rachilla Hairs Long GlumesLength One-half of Lemma Hairiness Completely Covered Length of HairsShort Glume Awn Surface Rough Glume Awn Length Relative to Equal GlumeLength Stigma Hairs Many Seed Hull Type (Lemma/Palea Covered Adherence)Hairs on Ventral Furrow Absent Shape of Base Transverse Crease KernelAleurone Color Colorless Kernel Length Mid-Long (8.5-9.5 mm) Wrinklingof Hull Semi-Wrinkled Average 1,000 Kernel Weight 47 g Diseases LooseSmut Susceptible Stem rust Intermediate Net Blotch Susceptible SpotBlotch Intermediate Covered Smut Tolerant Scald Susceptible

The barley cultivar Oreana, as described above, has been tested fortolerance to multiple diseases that are known to affect plants.Specifically, the barley cultivar Oreana was tested to determine itstolerance against loose smut, stem rust, net blotch, spot blotch,covered smut, and scald, for example. These diseases are defined above.The barley cultivar Oreana can have intermediate tolerance to stem rustand spot blotch. Oreana can also have substantially complete toleranceto covered smut. Oreana did not exhibit tolerance to loose smut, netblotch, or scald without transgenic modification. Additional tolerancesare achievable through genetic modification methods described below.

This disclosure is also directed to a composition comprising a seed ofOreana comprised in plant seed growth media. Plant seed growth media canprovide adequate physical support for seeds and can retain moistureand/or nutritional components. In embodiments, the plant seed growthmedia can be a soil or synthetic cultivation medium. In someembodiments, the growth medium may be comprised in a container or may,for example, be soil in a field.

This disclosure is also directed to methods for producing a barleyvariety by crossing a first parent barley variety with a second parentbarley variety, wherein the first or second barley variety is thevariety Oreana. Therefore, any methods using the barley variety Oreanaare part of this disclosure, including selfing, backcrossing, hybridproduction, crosses to populations, recurrent selection, mass selection,bulk selection, pedigree breeding, mutagenesis, and transgenicmodification. Any plants produced using barley variety Oreana as aparent are within the scope of this disclosure.

Further reproduction of the barley variety Oreana can occur by tissueculture and regeneration to produce barley plants capable of having thephysiological and morphological characteristics of barley varietyOreana.

A further embodiment of the present disclosure is a backcross conversionof barley variety Oreana. A backcross conversion occurs when DNAsequences are introduced through non-transformation breeding techniques,such as backcrossing. Desired traits transferred through this processinclude, but are not limited to, higher grain yield and lower lodging.The trait of interest can be transferred from the donor parent to therecurrent parent, in this case, the barley plant disclosed herein.Single gene traits may result from either the transfer of a dominantallele or a recessive allele. Selection of progeny containing the traitof interest can be done by direct selection for a trait associated witha dominant allele. Selection of progeny for a trait that is transferredvia a recessive allele may require growing and selfing the firstbackcross to determine which plants carry the recessive alleles.Recessive traits may require additional progeny testing in successivebackcross generations to determine the presence of the gene of interest.

Another embodiment of this disclosure is a method of developing abackcross conversion Oreana barley plant that can involve the repeatedbackcrossing to barley variety Oreana. The number of backcrosses mademay be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or greater, and the specific number of backcrossesused will depend upon the genetics of the donor parent and whethermolecular markers are utilized in the backcrossing program. Usingbackcrossing methods, one of ordinary skill in the art can developindividual plants and populations of plants that retain at least 70%,75%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%,92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% of the genetic profile ofbarley variety Oreana. The percentage of the genetics retained in thebackcross conversion may be measured by either pedigree analysis orthrough the use of genetic techniques such as molecular markers orelectrophoresis.

In pedigree analysis, on average 50% of the starting germplasm could bepassed to the progeny line after one cross to another line, 75% afterbackcrossing once, 87.5% after backcrossing twice, and so on. Molecularmarkers could also be used to confirm and/or determine the recurrentparent used. The backcross conversion developed from this method may besimilar to Oreana for the results listed in Table 1. Such similarity maybe measured by a side by side phenotypic comparison. Any such comparisonshould be made in environmental conditions that account for the traitbeing transferred.

Another embodiment of the disclosure is an essentially derived varietyof Oreana. Essentially derived varieties may be obtained for example bythe selection of a natural or induced mutant, or of a somaclonalvariant, the selection of a variant individual from plants of theinitial variety, or backcrossing. An essentially derived variety ofOreana may further be considered as one whose production requires therepeated use of variety Oreana or is predominately derived from varietyOreana.

This disclosure is also directed to methods for using barley varietyOreana in plant breeding. One such embodiment is the method of crossingbarley variety Oreana with another variety of barley to form a firstgeneration population of F₁ plants. This disclosure also includes thepopulation of first generation F₁ plants produced by this method. Thisfirst generation population of F₁ plants may comprise a substantiallycomplete set of the alleles of barley variety Oreana. One of ordinaryskill in the art may utilize either breeder books or molecular methodsto identify a particular F₁ plant produced using barley variety Oreana.These embodiments also include use of backcross conversions of barleyvariety Oreana to produce first generation F₁ plants.

A method of developing Oreana-progeny barley plants comprising crossingOreana with a second barley plant and performing a breeding method isalso disclosed herein. One of ordinary skill in the art may cross barleyvariety Oreana with another variety of barley. The F₁ seed derived fromthis cross may be grown to form a homogeneous population. The F₁ seedmay contain one set of the alleles from variety Oreana and one set ofthe alleles from the other barley variety. The F₁ genome may be made upof 50% variety Oreana and 50% of the other variety. The F₁ seed may begrown and allowed to self, thereby forming F₂ seed. On average, the F₂seed may have derived 50% of its alleles from variety Oreana and 50%from the other barley variety, but various individual plants from thepopulation may have a greater percentage of their alleles derived fromOreana. The F₂ seed may be grown and selection of plants may be madebased on visual observation and/or measurement of traits. TheOreana-derived progeny that exhibit one or more of the desiredOreana-derived traits may be selected and each plant may be harvestedseparately. This F₃ seed from each plant may be grown in individual rowsand allowed to self. Then selected rows or plants from the rows may beharvested and threshed individually. The selections may again be basedon visual observation and/or measurements for desirable traits of theplants, such as one or more of the desirable Oreana-derived traits. Theprocess of growing and selection may be repeated any number of timesuntil a homozygous Oreana-derived barley plant is obtained. Thehomozygous Oreana-derived barley plant may contain desirable traitsderived from barley variety Oreana, some of which may not have beenexpressed by the other original barley variety to which barley varietyOreana was crossed and some of which may have been expressed by bothbarley varieties but now would be at a level equal to or greater thanthe level expressed in barley variety Oreana. The homozygousOreana-derived barley plants may have, on average, 50% of their genesderived from barley variety Oreana, but various individual plants fromthe population may have a greater percentage of their alleles derivedfrom Oreana. The breeding process of crossing, selfing, and selectionmay be repeated to produce another population of Oreana-derived barleyplants with, on average, 25% of their genes derived from barley varietyOreana, but various individual plants from the population may have agreater percentage of their alleles derived from Oreana. Anotherembodiment of the disclosure is homozygous Oreana-derived barley plantsthat have received Oreana-derived traits.

The previous example can be modified in numerous ways. For instance,selection may occur at every selfing generation; selection may occurbefore or after the actual self-pollination process occurs; orindividual selections may be made by harvesting individual spikes,plants, rows, or plots at any point during the breeding processdescribed herein. In addition, double haploid breeding methods may beused at any step in the process. The population of plants produced ateach and any generation of selfing is also described herein, and eachsuch population may consist of plants containing approximately 50% ofits genes from barley variety Oreana, 25% of its genes from barleyvariety Oreana in the second cycle of crossing, selfing, and selection,12.5% of its genes from barley variety Oreana in the third cycle ofcrossing, selfing, and selection, and so on.

Another embodiment of this disclosure is the method of obtaining ahomozygous Oreana-derived barley plant by crossing barley variety Oreanawith another variety of barley and applying double haploid methods tothe F₁ seed or F₁ plant or to any generation of Oreana-derived barleyobtained by the selfing of this cross.

Still further, this disclosure is directed to methods for producingOreana-derived barley plants by crossing barley variety Oreana with abarley plant and growing the progeny seed, and repeating the crossing orselfing along with the growing steps with the Oreana-derived barleyplant from 1 to 2 times, 1 to 3 times, 1 to 4 times, or 1 to 5 times.Thus, any and all methods using barley variety Oreana in breeding arepart of this disclosure, including selfing, backcrossing, hybridproduction, crosses to populations, recurrent selection, mass selection,bulk selection, and pedigree breeding. Unique starch profiles, molecularmarker profiles, and/or breeding records can be used by those ofordinary skill in the art to identify the progeny lines or populationsderived from these breeding methods.

Still further, this disclosure is directed to methods for producingOreana-derived barley plants by pedigree breeding. Pedigree breedingstarts with the crossing of two genotypes, such as Oreana and anotherbarley variety having one or more desirable characteristics that islacking or that complements Oreana. If the two original parents do notprovide all the desired characteristics, other sources can be includedin the breeding population. In the pedigree breeding method, plantsexhibiting desired traits are selfed and selected in successive filialgenerations. In the succeeding filial generations the heterozygouscondition gives way to homogeneous varieties as a result ofself-pollination and selection. Typically in the pedigree method ofbreeding, five or more successive filial generations of selfing andselection is practiced: F₁ to F₂; F₂ to F₃; F₃ to F₄; F₄ to F₅; etc.After a sufficient amount of inbreeding, successive filial generationscan serve to increase seed of the developed variety. In an embodiment,the developed variety comprises homozygous alleles at about 95% or moreof its loci.

In addition, this disclosure encompasses progeny with the same orgreater grain yield of Oreana and the same or less lodging of Oreana.The expression of these traits may be measured by agronomic performancetesting. Any such comparison should be made in the same environmentalconditions.

This disclosure is also directed to a transgenic variant of Oreana. Atransgenic variant of Oreana may contain at least one transgene butcould contain at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or moretransgenes. In another embodiment, a transgenic variant of Oreana maycontain no more than 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, or 2transgenes. Another embodiment of the disclosure involves a process forproducing barley cultivar Oreana further comprising a desired trait. Theprocess can comprise introducing a transgene that confers a desiredtrait to a barley plant of cultivar Oreana. As part of the disclosure,one of ordinary skill in the art may utilize any method of producingtransgenic plants that is currently known or yet to be developed.

In another embodiment, the method may involve the creation of variantsby mutagenesis or transformation of barley cultivar Oreana. All plantsproduced using barley cultivar Oreana as at least one parent areconsidered within the scope of this disclosure.

The present disclosure also provides for single or multiple geneconverted plants of barley cultivar Oreana. The transferred gene(s) maybe a dominant or recessive allele. The transferred gene(s) may confersuch traits as herbicide tolerance or resistance, insect tolerance orresistance, tolerance or resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viraldisease, male fertility, male sterility, enhanced nutritional quality,modified fatty acid metabolism, modified carbohydrate metabolism,modified seed yield, modified protein percent, modified beta-glucanpercent, modified lodging resistance, modified lipoxygenase,beta-glucanase and/or polyphenol oxidase content and/or activity, and/orindustrial usage, or a combination thereof. The gene may be a naturallyoccurring barley gene or a transgene introduced through geneticengineering techniques.

Any method for plant transformation known in the art may be utilized inthe present innovation. The disclosure comprises transgenic methodsincluding, but not limited to, expression vectors introduced into planttissues using a direct gene transfer method such asmicroprojectile-mediated delivery, DNA injection, electroporation andthe like. In an embodiment, expression vectors may be introduced intoplant tissues by using either microprojectile-mediated delivery with abiolistic device or by using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.Transformed plants obtained with the protoplasm of barley cultivarOreana are intended to be within the scope of this disclosure.

Various genetic elements can be introduced into the plant genome usingtransformation. These elements include but are not limited to genes,coding sequences, inducible, constitutive, and tissue-specificpromoters, enhancing sequences and signal, and targeting sequences.

In embodiments, a genetic trait that has been engineered into a barleyOreana plant using transformation techniques could then be moved intoanother line using traditional breeding techniques that are known in theplant breeding arts. For example, a backcrossing approach could be usedto move a transgene from a transformed barley Oreana plant to anotherbarley variety and the resulting progeny would comprise a transgene.

Likewise, in an embodiment, agronomic genes can be expressed intransformed Oreana plants. More particularly, plants can be geneticallyengineered to express various phenotypes of agronomic interest. Throughthe transformation of Oreana plants, the expression of genes can bemodulated to enhance disease tolerance or resistance, insect toleranceor resistance, herbicide tolerance or resistance, water stresstolerance, agronomic traits, and/or grain quality traits, for example.Transformation can also be used to insert DNA sequences that control orhelp control male sterility. DNA sequences native to barley as well asnonnative DNA sequences can be transformed into barley and used tomodulate levels of native or nonnative proteins. Antisense technology,various promoters, targeting sequences, enhancing sequences, and otherDNA sequences can be inserted into the Oreana barley genome for thepurpose of modulating the expression of proteins. Exemplary genes thatcan be inserted into the Oreana barley genome as part of the presentdisclosure include, but are not limited to, those categorized below.

Genes that Confer Tolerance or Resistance to Pests or Disease

(A) Plant disease resistance genes. Plant defenses are often activatedby specific interaction between the product of a disease resistance gene(R) in the plant and the product of a corresponding avirulence (Avr)gene in the pathogen. In embodiments, an Oreana plant variety can betransformed with a cloned resistance gene to engineer plants that aretolerant or resistant to specific pathogen strains.

Fusarium head blight along with deoxynivalenol both produced by thepathogen Fusarium graminearum Schwabe have caused devastating losses inbarley production. Genes expressing proteins with antifungal action canbe used as transgenes to prevent Fusarium head blight. Various classesof proteins have been identified. Examples include endochitinases,exochitinases, glucanases, thionins, thaumatin-like proteins, osmotins,ribosome inactivating proteins, flavonoids, and lactoferricin. Duringinfection with Fusarium graminearum, deoxynivalenol is produced. Thereis evidence that production of deoxynivalenol increases the virulence ofthe disease. Genes with properties for detoxification of deoxynivalenolhave been engineered for use in barley. A synthetic peptide thatcompetes with deoxynivalenol has also been identified. Changing theribosomes of the host so that they have reduced affinity fordeoxynivalenol has also been used to reduce the virulence of Fusariumgraminearum.

Genes used to help reduce Fusarium head blight include, but are notlimited to, Tri101 (Fusarium), PDR5 (yeast), tlp-1 (oat), tlp-2 (oat),leaf tlp-1 (wheat), tip (rice), tlp-4 (oat), endochitinase,exochitinase, glucanase (Fusarium), permatin (oat), seed hordothionin(barley), alpha-thionin (wheat), acid glucanase (alfalfa), chitinase(barley and rice), class beta II-1,3-glucanase (barley), PR5/tlp(Arabidopsis), zeamatin (maize), type 1 RIP (barley), NPR1(Arabidopsis), lactoferrin (mammal), oxalyl-CoA-decarboxylase(bacterium), IAP (baculovirus), ced-9 (C. elegans), and glucanase (riceand barley).

(B) A gene conferring tolerance or resistance to a pest, such as Hessianfly, wheat stem soft fly, cereal leaf beetle, and/or green bug. Forexample the H9, H10, and H21 genes.

(C) A gene conferring resistance to such diseases as barley rusts,Septoria tritici, Septoria nodorum, powdery mildew, Helminthosporiumdiseases, smuts, bunts, Fusarium diseases, bacterial diseases, and viraldiseases.

(D) A Bacillus thuringiensis protein, a derivative thereof, or asynthetic polypeptide modeled thereon.

(E) An insect-specific hormone or pheromone such as an ecdysteroid orjuvenile hormone, a variant thereof, a mimetic based thereon, or anantagonist or agonist thereof.

(F) An insect-specific peptide that, upon expression, disrupts thephysiology of the affected pest.

(G) An enzyme responsible for hyperaccumulation of a monoterpene, asesquiterpene, a steroid, hydroxamic acid, a phenylpropanoid derivative,or another non-protein molecule with insecticidal activity.

(H) An enzyme involved in the modification, including thepost-translational modification, of a biologically active molecule. Forexample, a glycolytic enzyme, a proteolytic enzyme, a lipolytic enzyme,a nuclease, a cyclase, a transaminase, an esterase, a hydrolase, aphosphatase, a kinase, a phosphorylase, a polymerase, an elastase, achitinase, and/or a glucanase, whether natural or synthetic.

(I) A molecule that stimulates signal transduction.

(J) A hydrophobic moment peptide.

(K) A membrane permease, a channel former, or a channel blocker.

(L) A viral-invasive protein or a complex toxin derived therefrom. Forexample, the accumulation of viral coat proteins in transformed plantcells imparts resistance to viral infection and/or disease developmenteffected by the virus from which the coat protein gene is derived, aswell as by related viruses.

(M) An insect-specific antibody or an immunotoxin derived therefrom.Thus, an antibody targeted to a critical metabolic function in theinsect gut would inactivate an affected enzyme, killing the insect.

(N) A virus-specific antibody.

(O) A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a pathogenor a parasite. For example, fungal endo-alpha-1,4-D-polygalacturonasesfacilitate fungal colonization and plant nutrient release bysolubilizing plant cell wall homoalpha-1,4-D-galacturonase.

(P) A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a plant.

(Q) Genes involved in the Systemic Acquired Resistance response and/orpathogenesis-related genes.

(R) Antifungal genes.

(S) Detoxification genes, such as for fumonisin, beauvericin,moniliformin, zearalenone, and their structurally related derivatives.

(T) Cystatin and cysteine proteinase inhibitors.

(U) Defensin genes.

(V) Genes conferring resistance to nematodes.

Genes that Confer Tolerance or Resistance to an Herbicide

(A) Acetohydroxy acid synthase. Acetohydroxy acid synthase, which hasbeen found to make plants that express this enzyme resistant to multipletypes of herbicides, has been introduced into a variety of plants. Othergenes that confer tolerance to herbicides include: a gene encoding achimeric protein of rat cytochrome P4507A1 and yeast NADPH-cytochromeP450 oxidoreductase, genes for glutathione reductase and superoxidedismutase, and genes for various phosphotransferases.

(B) An herbicide that inhibits the growing point or meristem, such as animidazolinone or a sulfonylurea.

(C) Glyphosate (resistance imparted by mutant5-enolpyruvl-3-phosphoshikimate synthase (EPSP) and aroA genes,respectively) and other phosphono compounds such as glufosinate(phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (PAT) and Streptomyceshygroscopicus PAT (bar) genes), and pyridinoxy or phenoxy proprionicacids and cyclohexones (ACCase inhibitor-encoding genes). Glyphosateresistance is also imparted to plants that express a gene that encodes aglyphosate oxido-reductase enzyme. In addition, glyphosate resistancecan be imparted to plants by the over-expression of genes encodingglyphosate N-acetyltransferase. Exemplary genes conferring resistance tophenoxy proprionic acids and cyclohexones, such as sethoxydim andhaloxyfop, are the Accl-S1, Accl-S2, and Accl-S3 genes.

(D) An herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis, such as a triazine (psbAand gs+ genes) and a benzonitrile (nitrilase gene).

(E) Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (protox). Protox is necessary for theproduction of chlorophyll, which is necessary for all plant survival.The protox enzyme serves as the target for a variety of herbicidalcompounds. These herbicides also inhibit growth of all the differentspecies of plants present, causing their total destruction.

Genes that Confer or Improve Grain Quality

(A) Genes that alter fatty acids. For example, fatty acids may bealtered by: (1) down-regulation of stearyl-ACP desaturase to increasestearic acid content of the plant, by for example, transforming a plantwith a nucleic acid encoding an anti-sense of stearyl-ACP desaturase;(2) elevating oleic acid via FAD-2 gene modification and/or decreasinglinolenic acid via FAD-3 gene modification; (3) altering conjugatedlinolenic or linoleic acid content; and/or (4) altering LEC1, AGP, Dekl,Superall, milps, and various Ipa genes such as Ipal, Ipa3, hpt or hggt.

(B) Genes that alter phosphorus content. For example, phosphorus contentmay be altered by: (1) introduction of a phytase-encoding gene, whichwould enhance breakdown of phytate and add more free phosphate to thetransformed plant; and/or (2) up-regulation of a gene that reducesphytate content.

(C) Genes that alter carbohydrates. This can be effected, for example,by altering a gene for an enzyme that affects the branching pattern ofstarch or a gene altering thioredoxin Bacillus subtilis levansucrasegene.

(D) Altered antioxidant content or composition, such as alteration oftocopherol or tocotrienols.

(E) Altered essential seed amino acids.

Genes that Control Male Sterility

There are several methods of conferring genetic male sterilityavailable, such as multiple mutant genes at separate locations withinthe genome that confer male sterility. In addition to these methods, asystem of nuclear male sterility may be used, which system includes:identifying a gene that is critical to male fertility; silencing thisgene; removing the native promoter from the gene and replacing it withan inducible promoter; inserting this genetically engineered gene backinto the plant; and creating a plant that is male sterile because theinducible promoter is not “on,” resulting in the male fertility gene notbeing transcribed. Fertility may be restored by inducing, or turning“on,” the promoter, which in turn allows the gene that confers malefertility to be transcribed.

(A) Introduction of a deacetylase gene under the control of atapetum-specific promoter and with the application of the chemicalNi-Ac-PPT.

(B) Introduction of various stamen-specific promoters.

(C) Introduction of the barnase and the barstar genes.

Genes that Create a Site for Site Specific DNA Integration

This includes the introduction of FRT sites that may be used in theFLP/FRT system and/or Lox sites that may be used in the Cre/Loxp system.Other systems that may be used include the Gin recombinase of phage Mu,the Pin recombinase of E. coli, and the R/RS system of the pSRi plasmid.

Genes that Affect Abiotic Stress Resistance

(A) Genes that affect abiotic stress resistance (including but notlimited to flowering, seed development, enhancement of nitrogenutilization efficiency, altered nitrogen responsiveness, droughtresistance or tolerance, cold resistance or tolerance, and saltresistance or tolerance) and increased yield under stress. For example,water use efficiency can be altered through alteration of malate. Inaddition, various genes, including CBF genes and transcription factors,can be effective in mitigating the negative effects of freezing, highsalinity, and drought on plants, as well as conferring other positiveeffects on plant phenotype. Abscisic acid can be altered in plants,resulting in improved plant phenotype, such as increased yield and/orincreased tolerance to abiotic stress. Cytokinin expression can bemodified resulting in plants with increased stress tolerance, such asdrought tolerance, and/or increased yield. Nitrogen utilization can beenhanced and/or nitrogen responsiveness can be altered. Ethylene can bealtered. Plant transcription factors or transcriptional regulators ofabiotic stress can also be altered.

(B) Improved tolerance to water stress from drought or high salt watercondition.

(C) Improved water stress tolerance through increased mannitol levelsvia the bacterial mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase gene.

Other genes and transcription factors that affect plant growth andagronomic traits such as yield, flowering, plant growth, lodging, and/orplant structure, can be introduced or introgressed into plants.

Genes that Confer Agronomic Enhancements, Nutritional Enhancements, orIndustrial Enhancements

Genes that alter enzyme activity for improved disease resistance and/orimproved plant or grain quality may be introduced or introgressed intoplants. For example, lipoxygenase levels can be altered to improvedisease resistance and/or to improve the quality of the grain, resultingin improved flavor for beer, cereal, and other food products made fromthe grain. Another enzyme whose activity can be altered isbeta-glucanase for improved plant and/or grain quality. Yet anotherenzyme whose activity can be altered is polyphenol oxidase for improvedplant and/or grain quality.

Methods for Barley Transformation

Numerous methods for plant transformation have been developed, includingbiological and physical plant transformation protocols. In addition,expression vectors and in vitro culture methods for plant cell or tissuetransformation and regeneration of plants are available.

Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation. One method for introducing anexpression vector into plants is based on the natural transformationsystem of Agrobacterium. A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes, which areplant pathogenic soil bacteria that genetically transform plant cells.The Ti and Ri plasmids of A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes,respectively, carry genes responsible for genetic transformation of theplant.

Direct Gene Transfer. Several methods of plant transformation,collectively referred to as direct gene transfer, have been developed asan alternative to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. A generallyapplicable method of plant transformation is microprojectile-mediatedtransformation, wherein DNA is carried on the surface ofmicroprojectiles measuring 1 to 4 pm. The expression vector isintroduced into plant tissues with a biolistic device that acceleratesthe microprojectiles to speeds of 300 to 600 m/s, which is sufficient topenetrate plant cell walls and membranes.

Another method for physical delivery of DNA to plants is sonication oftarget cells. Alternatively, liposome and spheroplast fusion can be usedto introduce expression vectors into plants. Direct uptake of DNA intoprotoplasts using CaCl₂ precipitation, polyvinyl alcohol orpolyL-omithine has also been reported. Electroporation of protoplastsand whole cells and tissues has also been described. Followingtransformation of barley target tissues, expression of theabove-described selectable marker genes allows for preferentialselection of transformed cells, tissues and/or plants, usingregeneration and selection methods.

The foregoing methods for transformation could be used for producing atransgenic variety. The transgenic variety could then be crossed withanother (non-transformed or transformed) variety in order to produce anew transgenic variety. Alternatively, a genetic trait that has beenengineered into a particular barley cultivar using the foregoingtransformation techniques could be moved into another cultivar usingtraditional backcrossing techniques that are known in the plant breedingarts. For example, a backcrossing approach could be used to move anengineered trait from a public, non-elite variety into an elite variety,or from a variety containing a foreign gene in its genome into a varietyor varieties that do not contain that gene. As used herein, “crossing”can refer to a simple X by Y cross, or the process of backcrossing,depending on the context.

Genetic Marker Profile Through SSR and First Generation Progeny

In addition to phenotypic observations, a plant can also be identifiedby its genotype. The genotype of a plant can be characterized through agenetic marker profile, which can identify plants of the same variety ora related variety or be used to determine or validate a pedigree.Genetic marker profiles can be obtained by techniques such asRestriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (RFLPs), Randomly AmplifiedPolymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), Arbitrarily Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction(AP-PCR), DNA Amplification Fingerprinting (DAF), Sequence CharacterizedAmplified Regions (SCARs), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms(AFLPs), Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) which are also referred to asmicrosatellites, and Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs).

Particular markers used for these purposes are not limited to anyparticular set of markers, but are envisioned to include any type ofmarker and marker profile that provides a means of distinguishingvarieties. One method of comparison is to use only homozygous loci forOreana.

In addition to being used for identification of barley cultivar Oreanaand plant parts and plant cells of cultivar Oreana, the genetic profilemay be used to identify a barley plant produced through the use ofOreana or to verify a pedigree for progeny plants produced through theuse of Oreana. The genetic marker profile can also be useful in breedingand developing backcross conversions.

Means of performing genetic marker profiles using SSR polymorphisms areknown. SSRs are genetic markers based on polymorphisms in repeatednucleotide sequences, such as microsatellites. A marker system based onSSRs can be highly informative in linkage analysis relative to othermarker systems in that multiple alleles may be present. Anotheradvantage of this type of marker is that, through use of flankingprimers, detection of SSRs can be achieved, for example, by thepolymerase chain reaction (PCR), thereby eliminating the need forlabor-intensive Southern hybridization. PCR detection uses twooligonucleotide primers flanking the polymorphic segment of repetitiveDNA. Repeated cycles of heat denaturation of the DNA, followed byannealing of the primers to their complementary sequences at lowtemperatures, and extension of the annealed primers with DNA polymerase,comprise the major part of the methodology.

Following amplification, markers can be scored by electrophoresis of theamplification products. Scoring of marker genotype is based on the sizeof the amplified fragment, which may be measured by the number of basepairs of the fragment. While variation in the primer used or inlaboratory procedures can affect the reported fragment size, relativevalues should remain constant regardless of the specific primer orlaboratory used. When comparing varieties, all SSR profiles may beperformed in the same lab.

The SSR profile of barley plant Oreana can be used to identify plantscomprising Oreana as a parent, since such plants will comprise the samehomozygous alleles as Oreana. Because the barley variety is essentiallyhomozygous at all relevant loci, most loci should have only one type ofallele present. In contrast, a genetic marker profile of an Fi progenyshould be the sum of those parents, e.g., if one parent was homozygousfor allele x at a particular locus, and the other parent homozygous forallele y at that locus, then the F₁ progeny will be xy (heterozygous) atthat locus. Subsequent generations of progeny produced by selection andbreeding are expected to be of genotype x (homozygous), y (homozygous),or xy (heterozygous) for that locus position. When the F₁ plant isselfed or sibbed for successive filial generations, the locus should beeither x or y for that position.

In addition, plants and plant parts substantially benefiting from theuse of Oreana in their development, such as Oreana comprising abackcross conversion, transgene, or genetic sterility factor, may beidentified by having a molecular marker profile with a high percentidentity to Oreana. In an embodiment, such a percent identity might be95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, 99.5%, or 99.9% identical to Oreana.

The SSR profile of Oreana also can be used to identify essentiallyderived varieties and other progeny varieties developed from the use ofOreana, as well as cells and other plant parts thereof. Progeny plantsand plant parts produced using Oreana may be identified by having amolecular marker profile of at least 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%,60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%,86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or99.5% genetic contribution from Oreana, as measured by either percentidentity or percent similarity. Such progeny may be furthercharacterized as being within a pedigree distance of Oreana, such aswithin 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more cross pollinations to a barley plant otherthan Oreana or a plant that has Oreana as a progenitor. Unique molecularprofiles may be identified with other molecular tools such as SNPs andRFLPs.

While determining the SSR genetic marker profile of a plant as describedabove, several unique SSR profiles may also be identified that did notappear in either parent plant. Such unique SSR profiles may arise duringthe breeding process from recombination or mutation. A combination ofseveral unique alleles provides a means of identifying a plant variety,an F₁ progeny produced from such variety, and further progeny producedfrom such variety.

Gene Conversion

When the term “barley plant” is used in the context of the presentinnovation, this term also includes any gene conversions of thatvariety. Backcrossing methods can be used with the present innovation toimprove or introduce a characteristic into the variety. For example, avariety may be backcrossed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or more times tothe recurrent parent. The parental barley plant that contributes thegene for the desired characteristic is termed the “nonrecurrent” or“donor” parent. This terminology refers to the fact that thenonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcross protocol andtherefore does not recur. The parental barley plant to which the gene orgenes from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred is known as therecurrent parent, as it is used for several rounds in the backcrossingprotocol. In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety ofinterest (recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrentparent) that carries the single gene of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a barley plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the desired morphological andphysiological characteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered inthe converted plant, in addition to the single transferred gene from thenonrecurrent parent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent contributes to a successfulbackcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol is to alter orsubstitute a single trait or characteristic in the original variety. Toaccomplish this, a single gene of the recurrent variety is modified orsubstituted with the desired gene from the nonrecurrent parent, whileretaining essentially all of the rest of the desired genetic, andtherefore the desired physiological and morphological, constitution ofthe original variety. The choice of the particular nonrecurrent parentwill depend on the purpose of the backcross. One of the major purposesis to add commercially desirable, agronomically important traits to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele may also be transferred. In this instance, it may benecessary to introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

Many single gene traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new variety, but that can beimproved by backcrossing techniques. Single gene traits may or may notbe transgenic. Examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,male sterility, waxy starch, herbicide tolerance or resistance,resistance for bacterial, fungal, or viral disease, insect resistance ortolerance, male fertility, enhanced nutritional quality, industrialusage, yield stability, and yield enhancement. These genes are generallyinherited through the nucleus.

Mutation Breeding

Mutation breeding is another method of introducing new traits intobarley cultivar Oreana. Mutations that occur spontaneously or areartificially induced can be useful sources of variability for a plantbreeder. The goal of artificial mutagenesis is to increase the rate ofmutation for a desired characteristic. Mutation rates can be increasedby many different means including temperature, long-term seed storage,tissue culture conditions, radiation, such as X-rays, Gamma rays (e.g.cobalt 60 or cesium 137), neutrons (product of nuclear fission byuranium 235 in an atomic reactor), Beta radiation (emitted fromradioisotopes such as phosphorus 32 or carbon 14), or ultravioletradiation (for example, from 2500 to 2900 nm), or chemical mutagens(such as base analogues (5-bromo-uracil), related compounds (8-ethoxycaffeine), antibiotics (streptonigrin), alkylating agents (sulfurmustards, nitrogen mustards, epoxides, ethylenamines, sulfates,sulfonates, sulfones, lactones), azide, hydroxylamine, nitrous acid, oracridines). Once a desired trait is observed through mutagenesis thetrait may then be incorporated into existing germplasm by traditionalbreeding techniques. In addition, mutations created in other barleyplants may be used to produce a backcross conversion of barley cultivarOreana that comprises such mutations. Further embodiments include thetreatment of Oreana with a mutagen and the plant produced by mutagenesisof Oreana.

Tables

In one aspect of the present disclosure, barley cultivar Oreana wastested for agronomic performance. Specifically, grain yield was examinedfor Oreana in comparison to three other barley varieties, specifically,CDC Copeland, Xena, and AC Metcalfe. The following Tables 2 through 4show this comparison. In each table, column 1 lists the cultivars thatwere compared (i.e., CDC Copeland, Xena, AC Metcalfe, and Oreana).Tables 2 through 4 also show that each barley variety was planted inthree soil zones (i.e., Black, Black & Grey, and Brown). Soil zones canbe used to describe regions of Canada, particularly in Saskatchewan andsurrounding provinces, where soil characteristics differ.Characterization of soil zones reflects the increasing soil organicmatter content and color of the surface soil horizons, generallyfollowing the climatic gradient from the southwest to the northeast. Theblack soil zone can represent soil that is generally cooler andmarginally wetter than other surrounding regions, resulting in high soilorganic matter content and black soil surface colors. Brown soil zonesoccur primarily in the semi-arid geographical regions where the moisturedeficit is higher than other surrounding regions. Soil organic mattercontent for brown soil is typically less than that of black soil zones.Grey soil zones occur primarily in regions where trees are more dominantin the natural vegetation and surface soil colors reflect the influenceof both below-ground grass soil organic matter inputs and forestsoil-forming processes. Soil organic matter levels for grey soil zonesare typically less than black soil zones but more than brown soil zones.

Tables 2 through 4 also include a “% Check,” which correlates the othercultivars with Oreana. In each of the tables, the Xena cultivar is usedas the reference variety because it is commonly known as a variety thatproduces superior grain yield. As such, the Xena % Check is 100% inTables 2 through 4. Each of the other cultivars, including Oreana, ischecked against the Xena cultivar. If grain yield of the other varietiesis less than that of Xena, the % Check will be less than 100%. If thegrain yield of the other varieties is greater than that of Xena, the %Check will be greater than 100%.

The bottom row of Tables 2 through 4 lists “Station Years.” StationYears represent the number of growing cycles for each grain yield valuebased on the number of independent plots and number of years that thecultivars were grown in those plots. For example, Table 2 shows that for2012 and 2013 the four barley cultivars being analyzed in the black soilzone were planted for 11 Station Years. This shows that over those twoyears (2012 and 2013) the cultivars were planted in multiple,independent plots such that the total number of plots over those twoyears equaled 11. By way of further example, the cultivars could havebeen planted in 6 independent plots in 2012 and 5 independent plots in2013, for a total of 11 Station Years.

Lastly, column 5 shows the weighted average grain yield and % Check foreach of the four cultivars that were planted. The weighted average isbased on the grain yield for each of the three soil zones, weighted bythe Station Years for each cultivar in each soil zone.

TABLE 2 Soil Zones Cultivar Black % Check Black&Grey % Check Brown %Check Average % Check CDC Copeland 5910 98 6497 95 4923 93 5681 95 Xena6054 100 6844 100 5291 100 5969 100 AC Metcalfe 5511 91 6274 92 4591 875357 90 Oreana 6020 99 6882 101 5695 108 6127 103 Station Years 11 9 1333 Grain Yield of Oreana and % Check, Western Two-Row Co-op, 2012-2013

TABLE 3 Soil Zones Cultivar Black % Check Black&Grey % Check Brown %Check Overall % Check CDC Copeland 4722 98 5693 95 4616 95 4907 96 Xena4816 100 5962 100 4867 100 5107 100 AC Metcalfe 4512 94 5811 97 4349 894751 93 Oreana 4431 92 6334 106 5286 109 5231 102 Station Years 6 4 7 17Grain Yield of Oreana and % Check, Western Two-Row Co-op, 2012

TABLE 4 Soil Zones Cultivar Black % Check Black&Grey % Check Brown %Check Overall % Check CDC Copeland 7335 98 7141 95 5069 88 6504 95 Xena7540 100 7549 100 5784 100 6884 100 AC Metcalfe 6711 94 6645 88 4872 846001 87 Oreana 7926 105 7320 97 6172 107 7079 103 Station Years 5 5 6 16Grain Yield of Oreana and % Check, Western Two-Row Co-op, 2013

As can be seen from the results shown in Tables 2 through 4, Oreanaexhibits an increased grain yield over CDC Copeland, Xena, and the ACMetcalfe reference, averaging approximately 3% more grain yield than itsnext closest variety, Xena.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, barley cultivar Oreana wastested for various agronomic performance aspects, including heading,height, lodging, maturity, KWT (kernel weight), TWT (test weight), andplumpness. Oreana was compared to CDC Copeland, Xena, and AC Metcalfebarley varieties regarding these aspects. The following Tables 5 through7 show this comparison. In each table, column 1 lists the cultivars thatwere compared (i.e., CDC Copeland, Xena, AC Metcalfe, and Dream). Column2 lists the heading value in terms of days. Heading, as used herein,describes a specific date in which the spike exertion from the bootoccurs, or exertion from the flag leaf of the barley plant. The headingmeasurements listed in Tables 5 through 7 show the number of daysbetween planting and when heading occurred. Column 3 lists the plantheight, which is the average height in centimeters of the barley plants,as measured from the ground level to the tip of the head, excludingawns. Column 4 lists lodging of the four cultivars. Lodging refers tothe bending or breakage of the plant stem, or the tilting over of theplant, which complicates harvest and can diminish the value of theharvested product. As used herein, lodging is measured on a scale of 1to 9, with 1 being the lowest lodging with minimal bending or breakageof the plant stem, and 9 being the highest lodging with maximum bendingor breakage of the plant stem. The lodging scale roughly reflects thefollowing formula: 1=0% lodging; 2=12.5% lodging; 3=25% lodging; 4=37.5%lodging; 5=50% lodging; 6=62.5% lodging; 7=75% lodging; 8=87.5% lodging;and 9=100% lodging. Column 5 lists plant maturity in terms of days.Maturity, as used herein, describes a date at which grain has dried toan acceptable harvest moisture content. Column 6 lists KWT g/1000 k,which represents kernel weight expressed in grams per 1,000 kernels.Column 7 lists TWT kg/hl, which represents test weight expressed askilograms per hectoliter. Column 8 lists the plumpness of the seed,which is interpreted as a ratio of seed thickness to seed diameter. Theplumpness in Tables 5 through 7 are represented as a percentage greaterthan a ratio of thickness to diameter of 6 mm/64 mm. The bottom row ofTables 5 through 7 lists Station Years. Station Years are describedabove with respect to Tables 4 through 6.

TABLE 5 Heading Height Lodging Maturity KWT TWT Plump Cultivar (days)(cm) (1-9) (days) g/1000k kg/hl % >6/64 CDC 56.3 86.8 3.7 93.3 45.3 63.787.6 Copeland Xena 53.6 83.1 3.5 92.5 48.3 65.6 88.6 AC 54 83.9 4.1 92.644.3 65.2 87.7 Metcalfe Oreana 55.3 70.1 2.2 94.7 46.9 65.5 86.5 Station23 30 15 27 31 32 26 Years Agronomic Performance of Oreana and Checks,Western Two-Row Co-op, 2012-2013

TABLE 6 Heading Height Lodging Maturity KWT TWT Plump Cultivar (days)(cm) (1-9) (days) g/1000k kg/hl % >6/64 CDC 58.2 85.5 4.0 90.7 42.7 62.281.9 Copeland Xena 55.6 82.9 3.8 90.5 45.6 63.9 83.6 AC 55.7 82.8 3.590.5 41.2 63.1 81.6 Metcalfe Oreana 57.3 69.2 2.6 92.4 43.6 63.7 80.7Station 14 16 8 14 15 16 12 Years Agronomic Performance of Oreana andChecks, Western Two-Row Co-op, 2012

TABLE 7 Heading Height Lodging Maturity KWT TWT Plump Cultivar (days)(cm) (1-9) (days) g/1000k kg/hl % >6/64 CDC 53.4 88.5 3.4 96.1 48.4 65.792.2 Copeland Xena 51.0 83.3 3.2 94.9 51.0 68.0 92.9 AC 51.7 85.2 4.7 9546.7 67.3 91.6 Metcalfe Oreana 52.4 71.1 1.6 97.3 50.2 67.6 91.7 Station9 14 7 13 16 16 14 Years Agronomic Performance of Oreana and Checks,Western Two-Row Co-op, 2013

As can be seen in Tables 5 through 7, heading of Oreana occurs betweenheading of CDC Copeland and Xena. Plant height of Oreana is less thanCDC Copeland, Xena, and AC Metcalfe. Maturity of Oreana is slightlygreater than CDC Copeland, Xena, and AC Metcalfe. KWT of Oreana isbetween CDC Copeland and Xena. TWT of Oreana is between CDC Copeland andXena. Importantly, lodging of Oreana is less than CDC Copeland, Xena,and AC Metcalfe, exhibiting lodging between the mid 1s and the mid 2s,whereas the other varieties exhibit lodging between the low 3s and high4s.

DEPOSIT INFORMATION

A deposit of the barley cultivar Oreana disclosed above and recited inthe appended claims has been made with the American Type CultureCollection (ATCC), 10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Va. 20110. Thedate of deposit was ______ and the accession number for those depositedseeds of barley cultivar Oreana is ATCC Accession No. ______. Allrestrictions on this deposit have been removed, and the deposit isintended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §§1.801-1.809. Thedeposit will be maintained in the depository for a period of thirtyyears, or five years after the last request, or for the enforceable lifeof the patent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessaryduring that period.

All of the compositions and methods disclosed and claimed herein can bemade and executed without undue experimentation in light of the presentdisclosure. While the compositions and methods of this disclosure havebeen described in terms of the foregoing illustrative embodiments, itwill be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations, changes,modifications, and alterations may be applied to the composition,methods, and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methodsdescribed herein, without departing from the true concept, spirit, andscope of the disclosure. More specifically, it will be apparent thatcertain agents that are both chemically and physiologically related maybe substituted for the agents described herein while the same or similarresults would be achieved. All such similar substitutes andmodifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to bewithin the spirit, scope, and concept of the innovation as defined bythe appended claims.

Although the application describes embodiments having specificstructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features oracts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are merelyillustrative of some embodiments that fall within the scope of theclaims of the application.

What is claimed is:
 1. A plant of barley cultivar Oreana, wherein asample of seed of the barley cultivar Oreana has been deposited underATCC Accession No. ______.
 2. A plant part of the plant of claim 1,wherein the plant part comprises at least one cell of the plant.
 3. Theplant part of claim 2, further defined as head, awn, leaf, pollen,ovule, embryo, cotyledon, hypocotyl, meristematic cell, root, root tip,pistil, anther, floret, seed, pericarp, spike, stem, and callus.
 4. Aseed from the plant of claim
 1. 5. A tissue culture produced from theplant part of claim
 3. 6. A barley plant regenerated from the tissueculture of claim
 5. 7. A seed of barley cultivar Oreana, arepresentative sample of the seed of the barley cultivar Oreana wasdeposited under ATCC Accession No. ______.
 8. A barley plant, or a partthereof, produced by growing the seed of claim
 7. 9. A method ofproducing a barley seed comprising crossing two barley plants andharvesting the resultant barley seed, wherein at least one barley plantis the barley plant of claim
 8. 10. A barley seed produced by the methodof claim
 9. 11. A barley plant, or a part thereof, produced by growingthe seed of claim
 10. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the methodfurther comprises crossing the plant of barley cultivar Oreana with asecond, distinct barley plant to produce an F₁ hybrid barley seed. 13.The method of claim 12, further comprising: (a) crossing a plant grownfrom the F₁ hybrid barley seed with itself or a different barley plantto produce a seed of a first progeny plant of a second generation; (b)growing a plant from the seed of the first progeny plant of the secondgeneration and crossing the first progeny plant of the second generationwith itself or a second plant to produce a seed of a second progenyplant of a third generation; and (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) usingthe second progeny plant of the third generation from step (b) in placeof the plant grown from the F₁ hybrid barley seed in step (a), whereinsteps (a) and (b) are repeated with sufficient inbreeding to produce aninbred barley plant derived from the barley cultivar Oreana.
 14. Acomposition comprising the seed of claim 7 comprised in plant seedgrowth media.
 15. The composition of claim 14, wherein the growth mediais soil or a synthetic cultivation medium.
 16. A method of producing acommodity plant product comprising collecting the commodity plantproduct from the plant of claim
 1. 17. The method of claim 16, whereinthe commodity plant product is grain, flour, bran, baked goods, cereals,pasta, beverages, malts, or medicines.
 18. A barley commodity plantproduct produced by the method of claim 17, wherein the commodity plantproduct comprises at least one cell of barley cultivar Oreana.
 19. Aplant produced by introducing a single locus conversion into barleycultivar Oreana, or a selfed progeny thereof comprising the single locusconversion, wherein the single locus conversion is introduced into thebarley cultivar Oreana by backcrossing or genetic transformation andwherein a sample of seed of barley cultivar Oreana has been depositedunder ATCC Accession No. ______.
 20. The plant of claim 19, wherein thesingle locus conversion comprises a transgene.
 21. A seed that producesthe plant of claim
 19. 22. The seed of claim 21, wherein the singlelocus confers male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance,pest resistance, disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism,abiotic stress resistance, altered seed amino acid composition,site-specific genetic recombination, modified carbohydrate metabolism,or a combination thereof.
 23. The seed of claim 22, wherein the singlelocus confers tolerance to glyphosate, sulfonylurea, imidazolinone,dicamba, glufosinate, phenoxy proprionic acid, L-phosphinothricin,cyclohexone, cyclohexanedione, triazine, benzonitrile, or a combinationthereof.
 24. The seed of claim 21, wherein the single locus conversioncomprises a transgene.